有哪些发明你希望它从未诞生过？（系列三） [美国媒体]

-------------译者：龙腾翻译总管-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

What technology do you wish was never invented?

有哪些发明你希望它从未诞生过？（系列三）


-------------译者：Oriri-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

Khang Dang upxed Oct 7
Modern Day Viruses/Malware

现代的计算机病毒和恶意软件。



Back in the day when everyone still used MS-DOS and were trading floppies like crazy viruses looked like this:

回想起大家使用微软磁盘操作系统的年代，那时候，随着磁盘的广泛使用，如下图这样的病毒被疯狂传播开来：



They were totally harmless and fun. Well maybe some of them could dexe data off your hard drive and mess up your day but that’s pretty much it.

不过这些病毒基本没啥危害，而且看着还挺有趣的。当然，其中有一些病毒可能会删除掉你硬盘驱动里的数据，扰乱你（平静愉悦）的一天，但（它们的危害）也就只有这样。

Now fast forward to today viruses are like THIS:

转视今日，计算机病毒（发展成）如下图的这种：



How pathetic is that? All they do is prey on young/old people that don’t know any better. Their only purpose is to try to steal your credit card/other person info. While viruses back in the day could probably mess up your computer for 2 days at most giving your personal info to god-knows-who could potentially change your life.

这病毒（设计的）还真是悲哀啊。他们专挑无知的老人和小孩下手。唯一的目的就是为了盗取你的信用卡和个人信息。回想当年，计算机病毒最多让你的电脑瘫痪两天，但是将你的私人信息泄露给你完全不知其底细的人，却有可能使你的生活翻天覆地。

Ugh.

啊呸，真让人讨厌。

Lucas Martin works at YMCA upxed Sep 12
This is definitely on my list:

这项发明肯定会在我的清单上：



This is the supersonic Concorde plane.

那就是协和式超音速客机。

Unfortunately a titanium “wear strip” fell off a Continental DC-10 in the path of an Air France Concorde leaving Paris. When the Concorde’s tire hit the strip a chunk of rubber tore off and smashed into the wing punching a 6-square-meter hole in its skin and causing fuel to leak and ignite. The resulting crash killed all 109 people aboard the flight as well as 4 people on the ground.

很不幸的是，由于美国大陆航空的DC-10（的发动机）脱落了一小块钛制零件在机场跑道上，而当时法国航空的一架前往巴黎的协和式客机就在此跑道上起飞。当协和式客机的轮胎碾过这个金属片时不幸爆胎，大量的橡胶皮被砸向机翼，在其表面形成了一个6平方米大的洞，直接导致了燃料泄漏引发失火。结果造成机上109名乘客和地面上的4人全部遇难。

This accident has shown us a few reasons among others why the development of supersonic airlines might not be the future.

这次事故向我们揭示了为何超音速客机没能成为未来发展方向的原因。

It was the right technology with a flawed business model.

这是一项很好的技术却被用在了不恰当的商业模式上。

-------------译者：花开花落花满天-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

Ivan Tregear Voice-over Artist Answered Sep 4
The G-Wiz

G-Wiz(一种小型电动汽车)



This is humanity’s worst invention. The REVAi (G-Wiz in the UK) is an electric “car” that looks like it’s just been beaten up.

这是人类最糟糕的发明。REVAi(在英国称为G-Wiz)是一种电动“汽车”，车子看上去就像刚被压扁过似的。

It was created at a time when electric cars were few and far between and so it actually sold fairly well even becoming the best selling electric car in the UK; a fact that makes me ashamed to be British.

它是在电动汽车还很稀少的时候发明出来的，所以实际上它的销量不错，甚至成为了英国最畅销的电动汽车；这也是让我羞于自己是个英国人的一个原因。

Apart from it looking like the lovechild between a potato and a turd it was just shit. It failed most of its safety tests had a top speed of 50mph and had a maximum range of 50 miles. Yep — you could only drive it for an hour at full speed.

除此之外，它的外形看起来就像是土豆和粪便的爱情结晶，简直和屎一样。它没有通过大部分的安全测试，且最高时速为50英里，最大行驶距离为50英里——是的，你只能在其全速状态下行驶一个小时。

Luckily Top Gear gave it what it deserved by naming it Worst Car of 2007 and then blowing one up.

幸运的是，英国疯狂汽车秀（Top Gear）恰如其分地将其评选为2007年度最糟糕的汽车，然后（当众）炸毁了一辆。



-------------译者：Oriri-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

Carl Ramirez Masters of Research student at Western Sydney University Answered Jun 26
This:

这个东西，海洛因。



As a Medical Science researcher I am aware for the need to develop medication. However I am also aware that medication must be made safe for use and with side effects that don't cancel out the benefit of the medication. Unlike some illegal drugs such as Marijuana and Cocaine Heroin (a.k.a. Diamorphine) is a synthetic drug. What’s more it was invented to serve as a more potent version of Morphine - at a time when addiction to opium and its products was already very well-known.

作为一个医学科学研究者，我明白医药需要发展。但是，我也明白医药的发展必须确保用药安全，而且药物的副作用并不能抵消其带来的疗效。不像一些非法药品，如大麻、可卡因、海洛因等其实是人工合成的药物。而且他们起初是作为增强版的吗啡被发明出来的——由于某段时间鸦片的成瘾问题，吗啡制成品一时间内声名远播。

So instead of learning the lesson and seeking to develop non-opiate painkillers humanity decided to intensify the problem by inventing heroin and placing it where Morphine was used - and more (e.g. it was used in cough medicines even for kids). At least nowadays we do have safer painkillers (e.g. Paracetamol Ibuprofen) - but back in 1874 when Heroin was invented scientists really thought it was a good idea to develop more opiates instead of new families of painkillers. The name “heroin” certainly helped to popularise the product as it was chosen to imply “heroic” properties.

并没有因此吸取到了教训从而转向研究开发不具成瘾性的止痛药，人类反而选择剑走偏锋，即增强成瘾性，海洛因此应运而生，并取代了吗啡——且使用范围更为广泛（例如：海洛因甚至被用在了小儿感冒药的配方中）。至少现在，我们有了更为安全的止痛药（比如扑热息痛或是布洛芬）——但是，回溯到海洛因被发明出来的1874年，科学家们当时确实认为发明更多鸦片制剂比发明新型止痛药更为上策。海洛因的英文名“heroin”也起到了普及海洛因制品的作用，因为它暗含了heroic（英雄）这个含义。

Regardless of whether heroin is ever legalised it is inevitably highly addictive and harmful. Other recreational drugs (legal or illegal) are all far less addictive and harmful than heroin.

不管海洛因是否合法，它确实不可避免有着极大的成瘾性和危害性。其他娱乐消遣的毒品（无论合法或非法），其成瘾性和危害性都远不及海洛因。



-------------译者：龙腾翻译总管-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

David Maciel Retired by Several Disabilities (2008-present) upxed Jul 8
PLASTIC!

塑料制品！

There is an island the size of Texas comprised of plastic garbage and trash floating around in the Pacific Ocean. I've seen photos of a sea turtle with a straw in his nose and another who swam through a six pack ring and grew with it stuck there. Plastic may break up into smaller pieces but it never breaks down and decomposes. Every piece of plastic ever created is still in existence. It's even gotten into the food chain.

在太平洋上漂浮着一座跟德克萨斯州面积大小相同的塑料垃圾岛。我曾看过某组照片，其中一只海龟的鼻子被插进了根吸管；另一只海龟的某肢被（六罐装啤酒）塑料环缠住，环已嵌进其肉，它只能在这种情况下游动。塑料可被分割成碎片，但是却不能被分解。每件被创造出来的塑料制品都仍存在，它甚至隐匿发生于食物链中。







Keurig plastic coffee things are a specific example. I've never used one so I don't know exactly what they're called but I do know there are bazillions of them getting tossed out every day. Even the inventor of it said he wished he'd never invented it.

美国绿山咖啡（Keurig）的塑料杯制品就是一个实例。我个人从没用过，所以我不知道它们具体叫什么，但我知道它们每天的丢弃量非常巨大。连发明它的人都曾说过，他希望自己从未发明过这个东西。


EDIT

总论。

Yes I know that plastics are used EVERYwhere and that I am using them too. If only DuPont had taken consideration the length of time it takes for plastic to disintegrate and what happens to it after disposal. It's not like we the end user have personal R&D budgets to develop these products before they get to market.

是的，我知道人们在生活中无时不刻会用到塑料制品，我自己也有在使用。如果美国杜邦公司曾考虑过分解塑料需多长时间以及塑料在用过后（其垃圾）该如何处理就好了。在他们（的产品）进入市场之前，我们这些最终用户又没有什么个人研发预算可以开发出这些产品。

-------------译者：花开花落花满天-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

Aloy Gupta CS Grad Techie Answered Sep 3
Girls will kill me for this.

女孩们会因此杀了我的。



Even I am guilty of taking a few at times.

即使是我有时也会犯这样的错误。

But the answer to this question is Selfies!

但是这个问题的答案是自拍！

Why?

为什么？

It kills socialization.

它会隔绝社会化。

If I am at a tourist attraction or on holiday and there are people around what’s the big deal in walking up to a total stranger and asking -

如果我在旅游景点度假，身边游客来来往往，会有完全陌生的人向我走来并且询问道（这事没啥大不了）:

“Hey can you click me a picture?”

“嘿，你能帮我拍张照片吗？”

The most awkward ones are the group photos where the person taking the selfie covers half of it and we stand at the background trying to fit in.

最尴尬的就是合影，那个（拿着手机）自拍的人占了照片的一半，我们站在背后（充当背景）试图融入其中。

Come on!

拜托！

You see that old man standing there? Go to him and request him to take the photo.

你看到站在那里的老人了吗？去找他帮忙让他帮我们拍照。

It will bring a smile on his face and the picture would come out much better than those selfies.

这会让他的脸上浮现笑容，拍出来的照片比自拍照的效果好太多了。

-------------译者：花开花落花满天-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

Samy Mejri Technophile upxed Oct 15
I've read a dozen answers and so far I noticed that the majority of people wish that:

我阅读了很多人的回复，到目前为止，我发现大多数人希望的是:

Smartphones weren't invented.

智能手机不曾被发明。

Nuclear weapons weren't invented.

核武器不曾被发明。

Internet wasn't invented.

互联网不曾被发明。

Pop-ups weren't invented.

弹出式广告不曾被发明。

For the most part I do agree with them only thing I don't consider to be a bad invention is internet we're actually lucky to have it its pros outweigh its cons.

他们说的大部分我都认可，但是我不认为互联网是一个糟糕的发明，我们真的很幸运能够拥有它，它的优点远大过它的缺点。

Then what's the thing that's so pointless that I wish was never invented?

那么，我希望哪个毫无意义的东西没被发明出来呢？

It's something we drink daily.

它是我们每天都会喝的东西。

Something vital.

对我们至关重要的东西。

Yet advertisements make it sound like it's coming straight from heaven!

然而，广告让它听起来像是这是上天赐给我们的。

Ever heard of diet water?

你有听说过减肥水吗？



Diet water is pure !

减肥水是纯净的。

Pure marketing bullshit !

纯粹是狗屁营销手段！

-------------译者：花开花落花满天-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

Marketing is the art of manipulating people and tricking them into thinking that water for instance contains a lot of calories in order to sell them water in bottles branded as “diet water” with “diet” being the keyword.

营销是门艺术，是操纵和诱骗人们思维的艺术。例如，水中含有大量的热量。为了推销它们，营销人员在瓶子上标上“减肥水”含“减肥”这样字眼的的关键词。

What's easier than brainwashing people into thinking that all their life they've been drinking water that was responsible for their fattiness?

给人们洗脑告诉他们，他们的肥胖是因为其饮用的生活水造成的，还有什么比这更简单的（营销）手段了？

And how about we give them that exact same water only in prettier bottles with diet written in bold ?

那么如果我们给他们提供完全一样的水，只是用更精美的瓶子将其包装起来并贴上“减肥”的标志，结果会怎样呢？

People always struggle and end up falling into marketing's trap they'll blindly buy “diet water” without asking further questions thinking that they're magically going to lose 10 pounds within a week.

人们（一开始）总会挣扎，最终还是陷入营销陷阱盲目购买了“减肥水”，毫无疑问全然相信它们会帮助他们在一个星期内奇迹般地减掉10磅的体重。

There are even different variants available of this supposedly magical water for the sole purpose of taking more and more of your money in the least obvious way.

这些神奇水甚至有多种不同的包装名，其唯一的目的就是以最不明显的方式让你从口袋中掏出更多的钱。

Fitness water: created by propel this bottle of water claims to give you better hydration when working out. People say it tastes sweet but it's just like fountain water only sweeter. I do think that the bottle looks nice though.

健良水：由propel打造的一款据说可以帮助人们在运动时提供更好水合作用的运动水。人们说它喝起来清甜，有些像泉水只是更甜点。我是认为那个瓶装设计得很漂亮啦。



Just for the record Regular old water has:
ZERO Calories
ZERO Fat
ZERO Carbs
ZERO Protein
Diet water isn't going to grant you a skinnier body it's just flavoured water only twice to thrice pricier.

顺带一提，（我们平时）喝的水里包含：
零卡路里
零脂肪
不含碳水化合物
不含蛋白质
减肥水不会给你一个苗条纤细的身体，它只是有点甜味的水，价格却（比普通水）贵了两三倍。